Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, deputy head and spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense announced on Mach 1, 2019 that China will host a multinational naval activity on April 23 in Qingdao, Shandong province, to honor the 70th birthday of the People's Liberation Army Navy. Sources close to the Navy told China Daily that the activity is highly likely to comprise a massive sea parade of major ships, submarines and aircraft from the Navy, along with vessels from other countries, noting it is also likely to be even larger and more spectacular than the sea parade in the South China Sea on April 12, 2018, that involved more than 10,000 Navy personnel, 48 ships and submarines and 76 naval aircraft. Wu Peixin, a defense industry observer in Beijing, said the April 23 activity will be a good occasion for the Navy to showcase the latest hardware delivered during the past year. He added "I am looking forward to seeing the participation of the second aircraft carrier, the Type 055 destroyer and the latest aircraft. However, whether the second aircraft carrier will be ready for this parade - which is likely to be its public debut - depends on its sea trial schedule."
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